Seal blank



W. C. CHILDRESS SEAL'BLANK Filed Jan. 1a, 1955 Feb. 3, 1959 United States SEAL BLANK Application January 18, 1955, Serial No. 482,578

7 Claims. (Cl. 24-23) The present invention relates to an improved nestable seal blank, useful in forming a seal or joint between overlapping metallic strapping portions of a bundle encircling band, and in particular to a new and improved arrangement for temporarily securing nested seal blanks in a stack.

Nesting type seal blanks of the type shown in George A. Crosby Patent No. 2,344,804, dated March 21, 1944, or John H. Leslie II Patent No. 2,610,374, dated September 16, 1952, comprise a substantially flat back plate having a width at least equal to the width of the strapping with which the blank is to be used and a pair of flaring or diagonally outwardly extending flanges, so that a stack of such seals may be formed by nesting one within the other. The seal blanks are usually separated one from the other by sliding one longitudinally outwardly from one end of the stackusually the inner seal is slid from the stack into the joint forming mechanism of the strapping tool or machine. The seals may be used in power strapping machines of the type shown in Paul A. Chamberlain Patent No. 2,438,386, dated March 23, 1948 or of the type shown in the copending applications of John H. Leslie and George A. Crosby, Serial Nos. 48,448 and 134,526, and issued as Patent Nos. 2,707,429 and 2,707,430, dated May 3, 1955, filed September 9, 1948 and December 22, 1949, respectively, and in hand op-' erated magazine tools of the types shown in John H. Leslie II Patent No. 2,497,313, dated February 14, 1950, and William C. Childress et al. Patent No. 2,594,397, dated April 29, 1952.

Previously, the nested seals were retained in the stack by passing a retaining wire or loop through aligned holes punched in the centers of the back plates of the seal blanks in the manner shown in Patent No. 2,344,804. As the seal blanks were loaded into the seal magazine of the strapping machine or tool the restraining wire or loop was removed and the seals would be separated from the stack one at a time by an appropriate feeding mechanism.

The present invention concerns a novel means for retaining the seals in nested condition without resorting to the punched holes in the back plate and a wire inserted through the aligned apertures. The hole formed in the back plate met with some objections from users who have their trademarks or names lithographed on the seal blank as the hole frequently marred the design or removed a letter from the name. Furthermore, there was always the added expense of threading the wire through the holes, and the cost of the wire itself. It has also been found that the part of the blank forming die which made the hole was usually the first to wear out.

The seal blank of the present invention incorporates a novel means by Which it may be clipped to a similarly formed blank and a number of them thus combined into a stack or stick of desired size. The blanks may be slid longitudinally from one end of the stack by a feeding mechanism of any of the types shown in any of the aforementioned patents and patent applications. This novel atent Q clipping means prevents, however, the separation without difiiculty of adjacent blanks by pulling or prying the blanks in any direction other than'sliding them longitudinally relative to each other, but permits a certain amount of movement of the seal blanks within the stack to permit their alignment within the guides of the aforementioned strapping tools and machines and to prevent jamming.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention to provide a new and improved nestable seal blank which is adapted to be retained in a stack of seals by novel means clipping adjacent seal blanks together.

Another object is to provide a new and improved nestable seal blank which incorporates novel means for holding it in a stack of similarly formed blanks, but which may be readily removed from the stack by sliding it longitudinally therefrom. I

Another object is to provide a new and improved nestable seal blank which may be firmly held in a stack of seals and the stack loaded into the seal magazine of power operated strapping machines and hand operated magazine tools where it is readily separated from the stack by sliding it longitudinally relative thereto.

Another object is to provide an articulated stack of seal blanks so as to permit of alignment in the seal guides of magazine type strapping tools and machines and to prevent jamming of the seal blanks therein.

Another object is to provide a new and improved seal blank which has a back portion formed of an unbroken surface which is available for printing with the users trademark advertising, designs, shipping data, and the like.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of seal blank forming the subject matter of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view through a group of nested seal blanks, showing the manner in which the seal blanks are clipped one to another to form a stack or stick of seal blanks;

Fig. 3 is a greatly enlarged sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the section of Fig. 2, and showing a portion of one flange of the seal blank to illustrate the means for securing the seal blanks one to the other;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view substantially on the scale of Fig. 3 of the'outer face of a portion of a seal blank flange;

Pig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing a modification of the present invention; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the modified form of Fig. 5. v

in the drawing, the reference character it indicates the seal blank as formed of a single metallic piece with a back portion or plate 12, the width of which 'is 'equal .to or only very slightly greater than the width of the strapping with which theseal blank is to be used. The back plate 12 is bounded along its parallel edges by a pair of flanges 14 integral therewith and which when the blank is initially formed project diagonally outwardly from the back plate 12. The flaring flanges permit the stacking and nesting of the seal blanks as shown in Fig. 2

for convenience in shipping and handling and for insertion into the magazine of a strapping tool or strapping machine of the type mentioned hereinabove. When the joint is formed between the overlapping portions of strapping, the flanges 14 are folded about the strapping and the blank and strapping, deformed in a manner well known in this art to lock the strapping portions and seal blank into a tension resisting joint.

It has been customary in the past to provide centrallylocatedapertures in theback plate 12 and to pass a retaining wire or'loopthrough-themto hold the nested seals in the stack and to prevent them from becoming accidentally separated from each other. In the preferred embodiment of r the present invention, the flanges '14 are provided with means 16 for clipping the nested seal the outer face of the seal willhave a small dimple 24.

Outer'face 26 of each flange 14'is formed with an arcuate or crescent shaped groove, slot, or depression 28 located closer to the back plate 12 than the projections 18 and ends 30 of whic h turn toward the back plate 12 of the blank and may betapered as shown inFig. 4. The long dimension of the groove 28 lies generally parallel to the back plate 12 and the flanges outer edge 22. While an arcuate groove has been shown, it should be clear that other shapes could be used, such as a wide v V shape or a straight slot having angularly disposed ends.

When a pair of seal blanks are nested together, the projections 18 of the outer or embracing blank (an upper blank in Fig. 2 engage in the grooves or depressions 28 of the inner or embraced blank. Figs. 2 and 3 show the dimension d between the projections 18 on the inner faces of the flanges 14 of each blank to be less than the corresponding dimension between the centers of those arcuate lips or edges 31 ofthe grooves 28. Since the seal blanks 19 are preferably made of a relatively rigid,

but not brittle, metal with little inherent spring action,

the projections 18 engaged in the centers of the grooves successfully resist a considerable force used-to pull or pry the inner seal blank directly from the outer blank.

Such force would not ordinarily be sufficient to spring the embracing blanks flanges 14 outwardly or to press the embraced blanks flanges 14 inwardly.

However, the lips 31 are arcuate with the arcs centers located toward the back plate 12. Furthermore, the flanges 14, at their outer faces 26, slope toward the back plate. Therefore, at some points toward either groove end 30 the dimension between the lips is less than the dimension d between the two projections 18 on a single blank. Thus,-when one blank is slid longitudinally relative to the other, that is, in a direction from left to right or right to left (Fig. 4), or toward and away from the plane of the drawing (Fig. 2), the projections or teeth 18, riding in the crescent shaped slots or depressions 28, first push the inner blank away from its embracing blank a slight distance, and then, when the projections 18 reach those points on the lips 31 where the spacing dimension is less than the dimension d, the projections 13 disengage from the slots 28. Only a slight longitudinal movement is required to disengage a blank from the stack and this movement in no way affects any other blanks in the stack. Ordinarilly, the blanks are fed one at a time from the inner end of the stack held in the seal magazine tothe joint forming mechanism of the strapping tool or machine, and because the force needed to disengage agblankis slight, there is no interference with the proper functioning of the tool or machine.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the same reference characters are used to designate the same elements of Figs. 1 to 4 in so far as possible. In the modified seal blank projections 32 are formed on the outer face 26 of the flanges 14 and crescent or arcuate shaped grooves 34 having their ends 36 directed toward the outer edge 22 of the flange 14 are formed on the inner faces 20 of the seal blank flange 14. In effect, there is a reversal of the positions of the retaining or clipping elements from the position of the preferred form. It will {@4 19 29 .npts th t the rqiset dns 3. a e c os r t t back plate 12 than are the grooves 34. The projections 32 are'retained in-the grooves -34 -by the'arcuate lips-or edges 38 until the embracing and embraced seal blanks are slid relatively longitudinally when the projections or teeth will be freed from the grooves, since the distance between the projections 32 on one blank is less than the corresponding distance betweenthe edges38 adjacent the groove ends 36 on the juxtaposed blank. The use and functioning of the modified blankis the same as these characteristics of the preferred form .of ,blank.

It should be noted that in zbothrforms of the invention the groove ends 30 or 36 are inclined awayfrom'an imaginary projected line passing through the locus of the projection 18 or 32 and disposed parallel to the outer edge 22 of the flange, and, therefore, parallel to long dimension of the respective groove 28 or 34. This arrangement obtains even though the groove shape be a wide V or with a straight center terminating in diagonally disposed ends.

It will be sew, therefore, that a new and improved nesting seal blank has been provided wherein the nested blanks'arefirmly clippedtogether and retained in a flexible stack from which individual blanks or a group may be readily removed by sliding one seal longitudinally relative to the juxtaposed seal blank.

While two embodiments of the seal blank constituting this inventionhavebeenshown and described, it will be apparent that modifications and variations thereof may be made without departing'from the underlying principles of the invention. 'It is, therefore, desired by the following claims to include within the scope of the invention all such variations and modifications'by which substantially the results of this invention may be obtained through the use of substantially the same .or equivalent means.

What is claimed "as new, and-desired to'be secured by United States Letters Patent, is:

1. A metallic seal blank useful in forming a' joint .between overlapping metallic strapping portions and adapted to be nested with another and similarly formed seal blank, comprising a back plate to which is joined a pair of diagonally outwardly extending flanges along the side edges thereof, each flange having generally plane inner and outer faces, said inner face having a projection, and said outer face being formed with an arcuate slot therein the 'long dimension of which is substantially shorter than the length of said flange and the ends of which are inclined away from the outer longitudinal edge of the flange, said projections being adapted to engage ,in the slots of a second and similarly shaped seal blank with which said blank is nested, whereby said blanks will be held together until said blanks are moved relatively longitudinally when said projections sliding in said slots will disengage and separatesaid blanks.

2. A metallic seal blank useful in forming a joint between overlapping metallic strapping portions and adapted to be nested with another and similarly formed seal blank, comprising a back plateto which is joined a pair of diagonally outwardly extending flanges along the side edges thereof, each flange having generally plane inner and outer faces, said inner face having a dot-like projection and said outer faces being formed with an arcuate slot therein the long dimension of which is shorter than the length of said flange and the ends of which are inclined away from the outer longitudinal edge of the flange and said slot lying closer to said back plate than does said projection, said projections being adapted to engage in the slots of a second and-similarly shaped seal blank with which said blank is nested, whereby said blanks will be held together until said blanks are moved relatively longitudinally when said projections sliding in said slotswill disengage and separate said blanks.

3. A metallic seal blank useful in forminga joint between rlapping metallic str pping portionsand adapted to beneste with anothe andsimilarly formed sealblenk,

comprising a back plate to which is joined a pair of diagonally outwardly extending flanges along the side edges thereof, each flange having generally plane inner and outer faces, said outer face being formed with a dotlike projection, and said inner face being formed with an arcuate slot therein the long dimension of which is shorter than the length of said flange and the ends of which are inclined toward the outer longitudinal edge of the flange, said projections being adapted to engage in the slots of a second and similarly shaped seal blank with which said blank is nested, whereby said blanks will be held together until said blanks are moved relatively longitudinally when said projections sliding in said slot will disengage and separate said blanks.

4. A metallic seal blank for use in forming a joint between overlapping metallic strapping portions and adapted to be nested with another and similarly formed seal blank, comprising a back plate to which is joined a pair of diagonally outwardly extending flanges along the side edges thereof, each flange having generally plane inner and outer faces, said outer face being formed with a dot-like projection, and said inner face being formed with an arcuate slot therein the long dimension of which is shorter than the length of said flange and the ends of which .are inclined toward the outer longitudinal edge of the flange and said slot lying closer to the outer edge of the flange than does said projection, said projections being adapted to engage in the slots of a second and :similarly shaped seal blank with which said blank is nested, whereby said blanks will be held together until said blanks are moved relatively longitudinally when said projections sliding in said slots will disengage and separate said blanks.

5. A metallic seal blank for use in forming a joint between overlapping metallic strapping portions and adapted to be nested with another and similarly formed seal blank, comprising a back plate to which is joined a pair of diagonally outwardly extending flanges along the side edges thereof, each flange having generally plane inner and outer faces, one of said faces having a too-thlike projection, and said other face being formed with a groove therein the ends of which are inclined slightly away from a line passing through the locus of the projection and parallel to said back plate, said projections being adapted to engage in the grooves of a second and similarly shaped seal 6 blank with which said blank is nested, whereby said blanks will be firmly held together and at the same time capable of being articulated until said blanks are moved relatively longitudinally when said projections sliding in said grooves will disengage and separate said blanks.

6. A metallic seal blank for use in forming a joint between overlapping metallic strapping portions and adapted to be nested with another and similarly formed seal blank, comprising a back plate to which is joined a pair of diagonally outwardly extending flanges along the side edges thereof, each flange having generally plane inner and outer faces, said inner face having a toothlike projection, and said outer face being formed with a groove therein the ends of which are inclined slightly toward said back plate, said projections being adapted to engage in the grooves of a second and similarly shaped seal blank with which said blank is nested, whereby said blanks will be firmly held together and at the same time capable of being articulated until said blanks are moved relatively longitudinally when said projections sliding in said grooves will disengage and separate said blanks.

7. A metallic seal blank for use in forming a joint between overlapping metallic strapping portions and adapted to be nested with another and similarly formed seal blank, comprising a back plate to which is joined a pair of diagonally outwardly extending flanges along the side edges thereof, each flange having generally plane inner and outer faces, said outer face having a toothlike projection formed thereon, and said inner face being formed with a groove therein the ends of which are inclined slightly toward the outer edge of said flange, said projections being adapted to engage in the grooves of a second and similarly shaped seal blank with which said blank is nested, whereby said blanks will be firmly held together and at the same time capable of being articulated until said blanks are moved relatively longitudinally when said projections sliding in said grooves will disengage and separate said blanks.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 301,620 Switzerland Nov. 16, 1954 653,362 Great Britain May 16, 1951 1,043,299 France June 10, 1953 

